Research on Effective Methodology for Managing Road Underground Space in Public Right-of-way

The urban area in many cities around the world is frequently intricate with various types of utilities beneath road right-of-way. The large quantities of utilities make it a big challenge for transportation authority to effectively manage and operate road services. Ineffective management of road right-of-way often leads to frequent road excavations, disruptions to urban transportation and even accidents of injuries and deaths. This study investigates some key issues in enhancing effective management of road right-of-way in urban areas, including a comprehensive literature review on existing management procedures and vehicles, an improved methodology for utilizing road underground space, and a prototype of a utility management system to implement the methodology. The trial result of the methodology and the prototype proves the usefulness of the methodology and system in effective managing road underground space. Outputs of this study would shed useful insights on appropriate policies to be established on the side of the government and workable codes of practice to be implanted on the side of industry.